WRTI Picks from NPR Music

In the 1970s, the Boston Pops effectively turned the 1812 Overture into an Independence Day staple. The music director and executive producer of the orchestra's annual Fireworks Spectacular explain how and why.

As a Japanese expatriate in Berlin, jazz pianist Aki Takase has an outsider's perspective on jazz and insider wisdom that comes from careful study. Her new album of Duke Ellington tunes reflects influences such as Thelonious Monk and Arnold Schoenberg, as well.

Summer is heating up and so are dozens of classical music festivals all around the country. We couldn't possibly list them all, but here's a sampling of some of the best festivals, from open-air venues and seaside spots to historic concert halls.

31-year-old American mezzo Jamie Barton had a double win at the prestigious Welsh competition. She walked away Sunday with both the main prize and the song award.

The 23-year-old jazz phenom's debut album showcases her takes on vintage jazz and blues numbers by Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and others.

The jazz composer's latest project is an opera based on the life of Emile Griffith, a gay boxer who became a world champion in the 1960s — at a price.

Founded in 1962, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition continues this year without the presence of its iconic namesake. But organizers and contestants believe the contest — as well as its high standards and ability to boost careers — will remain.

Vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant and pianist Aaron Diehl, both in their 20s, have already racked up major industry prizes. On her new album, they find ways to honor old traditions as young people.

A 100-year-old ballet, composed by a Russian for a French audience, has become something of a standard in an idiom which didn't exist when it premiered. Whether covered, quoted or praised, Stravinsky's masterwork has inspired multiple generations of improvisers.

Don't know neo-nationalism from neoclassicism? Bone up on the surprisingly multifaceted career of Igor Stravinsky, the man who gave us the iconic Rite of Spring.